A soldier was sentenced to five years in prison for going AWOL to repair a house damaged by shelling in Mykolaiv.

A soldier received a 5-year sentence for "desertion" after leaving to repair his home damaged by shelling in Mykolaiv.

The Leninsky District Court of Mykolaiv found a serviceman guilty and sentenced him to five years in prison for leaving the military unit without permission to fix his house, which was affected by enemy shelling.

The corresponding verdict was published in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions on October 30.

It is noted that the defendant voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in September 2022 and served as a driver in the military unit's security department. During his service, he was injured but returned to active duty after recovering.

“For 9 months, he was assigned tasks in the Zaporizhzhia region, where he sustained injuries, after which he continued his military service. Later, in October 2023, he was transferred back to the military unit…,” the case materials state.

However, on March 7, 2024, the suspect left the military unit without permission and voluntarily reported to the Territorial Office of the State Bureau of Investigation in Mykolaiv in May, identifying himself as a serviceman who had deserted.

During the trial, the accused admitted his guilt, expressed remorse, and explained that he left his post to repair the roof of his house, which had been damaged due to Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory. It was noted that he was supposed to be transferred to an active combat zone.

“He went to his residence because he needed to restore his war-damaged home, for which he ordered the necessary construction and roofing materials. He was planned to be transferred again to an active combat zone. After repairing the mentioned property, on May 17, 2024, he voluntarily reported to the TUI of the SBI in Mykolaiv, where he confessed to his unauthorized absence from the military unit. He indicated that he was partially fit for military service due to existing health issues, but he did not appeal the Military Medical Commission's decision regarding his fitness for service. He noted that he regretted his actions, condemned his behavior, and wished to continue his military service; however, the command of the unit he served in before his desertion refused to accept him back. Additionally, the commander of another military unit he approached regarding the possibility of returning also declined to take him,” the case materials state.

During the hearing, the commander of the military unit's security company testified that the defendant did not show up for formation on March 7, and when he called, the defendant stated he would not return to service.

As a result, the court ruled that the defendant's guilt was proven and decided to sentence him to 5 years in prison. The verdict noted that it was impossible to release the defendant from serving his sentence on probation to prevent further criminal offenses, as this could undermine military discipline.